President-elect Donald Trump has named Morgan Ortagus to be a deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East matters, while indicating some reservations. Trump announced the appointment in a Jan. 3 post on his Truth social media platform. The incoming president noted Ortagus would work directly under Steven Witkoff, whom he named in November to serve […]

Finnish authorities boarded a Russian-linked crude oil tanker on Dec. 26 to investigate the suspected sabotage of the Estlink-2 undersea power cable. In a statement, the Finnish national police service announced that a multiagency task force including Finnish military and border security personnel boarded the Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S and diverted the tanker’s course for […]

President Joe Biden signed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law on Dec. 23, approving an $895 billion military spending authorization despite some pushback from fellow Democrats. “While I am pleased to support the critical objectives of the Act, I note that certain provisions of the Act raise concerns,” Biden said in a […]

Australia’s attorney general approved the extradition of a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot on Dec. 23 to face criminal charges in the United States for allegedly helping train Chinese military pilots. U.S. federal prosecutors filed charges against Marine aviation veteran Daniel Duggan in 2017. Australian authorities arrested him in October 2022 and he has fought […]

President Joe Biden is set to visit Italy next month in what is likely the final international trip of his presidency. This week, the White House announced Biden will tour Italy from January 9 to 12, where he will visit with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. At a […]

The U.S. Senate passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Dec. 18, bringing the $895.2 billion bill one step closer to becoming law. The 85–14 Senate vote came one week after the House passed the military budget measure. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for consideration in his final weeks […]

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 13, in hopes of promoting regional stability after Bashar al-Assad’s recent fall from power in neighboring Syria. Upon his arrival, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The secretary of state said they discussed how Syria can move on […]

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the latest version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Dec. 11, moving the bill one step closer to becoming law. The compromise NDAA bill, at more than 1,800 pages, provides up to $895.2 billion in discretionary defense spending for the fiscal year. The annual defense authorization […]

The House passed a bill on Dec. 10 to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to form a new working group within the department to track national security threats posed by the People’s Republic of China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Dubbed the “Strategic Homeland Intelligence and Enforcement Legislation to Defend Against […]

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Dec. 7 it will send another $988 million funding package to bolster Ukrainian forces in the ongoing war with Russia. The military support package comes through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a Pentagon program for purchasing new military equipment. In a press statement, the Pentagon announced this […]

President-elect Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday evening. Macron was seen giving a thumbs-up as Trump and Zelenskyy flanked him for a photo opportunity at the presidential palace. Macron had planned to meet with Zelenskyy, and the French president’s […]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has survived an initial impeachment effort over his short-lived martial law declaration earlier this week. The South Korean National Assembly, led by Yoon’s political opposition, called the impeachment vote on Dec. 7. The impeachment motion required 200 lawmakers present to reach a quorum in the 300-seat legislature. Ultimately, 195 […]

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Army veteran Daniel Driscoll to be the next secretary of the Army. “As a former Soldier, Investor, and Political Advisor, Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent,” Trump said in a Dec. 4 Truth social post announcing the nomination. Driscoll joined the […]

President-elect Donald Trump threatened severe consequences if hostages held in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, are not released by the time he takes office on Jan. 20 next year. “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle […]

President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on members of the BRICS economic bloc who move to adopt a new currency to compete with the U.S. dollar. “The idea that the BRICS countries are trying to move away from the dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump wrote in a […]

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden announced on Nov. 26 that the governments of Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. “Today, I have some good news to report from the Middle East,” Biden said. “Just spoke with the prime minister of Israel and Lebanon. I’m pleased to announce that the […]

President-elect Donald Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, Nov. 22. The transatlantic alliance confirmed the meeting in a brief statement on its website on Nov. 23. Trump and Rutte “discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” the press statement reads. Rutte also met with Trump’s […]

The United States introduced sanctions on Nov. 21 against nearly 100 Russian financial institutions and 15 individuals in hopes of further constraining Moscow’s ability to wage war in Ukraine. The Treasury Department listed 54 Russian banks and 41 securities registrars for sanctions. The sanctions also target 11 Russian officials who work for the Central Bank […]

Brazil’s Department of Federal Police announced indictments on Nov. 21 against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and 36 others, on allegations they attempted to keep him in power through a violent coup d’état. The charges follow a nearly two-year investigation into the Jan. 8, 2023, breach of the Brazilian federal government buildings, including its National […]

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Chris Wray declined requests to testify at a Nov. 21 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. The Senate committee had called the hearing to discuss ongoing threats to national security and called on Mayorkas and Wray to address the committee in an […]